Children Within the Walls of Shinra
by im-a-tumor
Summary: Semi-AU; 4 children within Shinra have a little ridiculous conversation.


**This popped into my head after seeing some awsome art by someone I'm a fan of. I liked how this one came out. Enjoy!**

**Don't Own Final Fantasy 7. **

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Tseng rubbed his temples; the normally stoic teen Turk was reaching his limit on the senseless arguing two children could engage in.

He was assigned the task of watching over the younger Ancient specimen Aerith. An energetic girl, she usually wanted to find another child to play with when Tseng refused to. Unfortunately, the only other child around her age within Shinra was Rufus. And the boy had little experience dealing with others his age; since he had a private tutor he met no children in school and was usually treated like a prince since his father owned the company. So dealing with someone who treated him as an equal was not his forte.

At the moment, they were sitting with Sephiroth, a SOLDIER prodigy about Tseng's age, on the upper levels of the lobby, just sitting around. Aerith was arguing with Rufus, trying to convince him to get real flowers to replace the fake ones around the building. Rufus explained things about the cost of care-taking and allergies people have to them, but Aerith continued to rebuttal with how they made the building look. Both Sephiroth and Tseng hoped the two never meet when they grow up.

"With all the money this place makes, you can get sprinklers that do it automatically."

"Why should we waste that money anyways? It's pointless."

Tseng turned out towards the lobby and spotted 3 figures down below. He recognized two as Shinra scientists and the other as a Turk.

"Hey, Sephiroth, aren't those your parents?" Tseng spoke up. The other teen looked over, glad for the distraction as it stopped Aerith and Rufus from their spat. They all looked down to see Professor Lucrecia Crescent, Professor Hojo, and Vincent Valentine conversing with one another, but were too high up to hear what about.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Tseng asked.

"Custody arrangements" Sephiroth answered with a shrug.

"Do you always assume that?"

"I'd rather think that's what they talk about than anything else."

"Wow, Sephiroth, I didn't know you had three parents" Aerith spoke up, looking at Sephiroth in awe.

"One of them is my step-dad" Sephiroth explained.

"Still, you have two dads. I wish I had just one" she whispered wistfully. Tseng and Sephiroth exchanged glances with Professor Gast's image appearing in their minds. Then she brightened and asked "Can I borrow one of yours? Just to see what it's like to have one? Please?"

Sephiroth scoffed. "You can take both for all I care." Sephiroth did not hold either Hojo or Vincent in high regard.

"Wow, really? Well, I don't want to leave you without a dad so I'll choose one" she declared, scrunching up her face deep in thought.

"Che, you can make my dad if you can't decide" Rufus offered as he turned away from the adults.

"Oh, thanks Ru-Ru!" she cried.

"Don't call me that!" he snapped back.

She seemed to have not heard, but turned to Tseng instead. "What about you, Tseng?"

As Rufus muttered under his breath about Tseng not given a nickname while he was, Tseng only said "I've been a Turk for most of my life; I never knew my father."

"But do you remember him?"

Tseng only shrugged, not wanting to lie or tell the truth.

Aerith looked back at Rufus. "Um, my mom says she doesn't like your dad, so I can't pick him" she said before turning back to the task at hand.

"That makes two of us then" Rufus muttered.

"Aren't you going to go down there?" Tseng asked Sephiroth. He hoped that once he left, the kids would get bored and venture somewhere else and not argue.

"I'd rather wait for them to call me down" Sephiroth answered back.

"I can't decide" Aerith announced. "The new one is pretty but...Hojo has a funny laugh."

"Guys can't be pretty. That's only girls" Rufus informed her.

"Guys can be pretty."

"No, only girls can. Guys are supposed to be handsome. That's the way it is."

"Girls can be handsome and guys can be pretty."

"No they can't!"

Rufus did not like it when 'The natural order of things' was disrupted.

"Yes they can."

Before Tseng could intervene, Aerith shot a "You're pretty" at Rufus.

Flustered and taken aback, Rufus was red in the face as he opened his mouth with a retort.

"Tseng is also pretty" Aerith continued, cutting him off. Tseng pinched the bridge of his nose.

"And Sephiroth is really pretty."

Sephiroth smirked before a voice from below called his name.

"Sephiroth, it's time to go!" Lucrecia beckoned to him from the lobby. Hojo looked up and spotted them.

"Tseng, put that back to the lab before it gets contaminated!" he barked, indicating his precious specimen.

The kids got up from their spot and headed towards the elevators. Once the one going down appeared, Sephiroth got in with a short "Bye" and kept his back to them.

"Bring Angel and Gen-Gen next time!" she called to him. Sephiroth lazily raised in arm in acknowledgment, not bothering to correct the names before the elevator doors closed.

Their own elevator opened and Tseng directed them to Floor 67 for Hojo's lab and Floor 62 for the library; Rufus had a tutoring session soon.

Rufus held a scowl as they zoomed up. "What's wrong, Ru-Ru?"

"How can Sephiroth be really pretty and I just pretty?" he asked with a glare. Rufus could not play second fiddle to anyone he considered beneath him.

Aerith shrugged. "I think it's his hair...or maybe his eyes. His eyes are very beautiful." She emphasized with pulling at her cheeks to make her eyes seem bigger and exposed the reds. The result only caused Rufus to back away with a look of mild disgust.

Aerith stopped and asked if they could play with Dark Nation next time. For the second time, Tseng saw an utter look of horror cross the boy's face, the first being when they saw what the bubbly girl had done to the poor creature previously. Rufus shook his head as the elevator chimed to let them know they reached Floor 62.

"No way! Dark Nation hated the bows you stuck on her!" Rufus stepped out of the elevator and Tseng made a beeline for the button that closed the doors.

Aerith blinked back then scowled and stuck her tongue out at the boy. In an uncharacteristic move, Rufus stuck his own tongue back at the girl. Tseng pressed even harder on the close button before they finally shut and resumed their journey up.

Tseng made a mental note to talk to Veld about babysitting not being in his job description and hoped he wouldn't be there when the children reached their later years.

For the love of God, they'll age me faster than my work.

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